$14 million project will improve safety, traffic flow

West Bloomfield >> Orange barrels are on their way to the West Bloomfield and Farmington Hills border, as one of Metro Detroit’s busiest intersections will be getting a $14 million makeover.

City and state officials broke ground Tuesday morning on the long-planned 14 Mile/Orchard Lake/Northwestern Highway “triangle project,” which will last for two years. The revamp will help the traffic congestion in the area, as well as make it safer.

The project includes a roundabout at the 14 Mile and Orchard Lake roads intersection, the realignment of 14 Mile Road east of Northwestern Highway and the reconstruction of the Northwestern Highway, 14 Mile and Orchard Lake triangle area.

About 114,000 vehicles pass through the triangle each day.

Dennis Kolar, managing director for the Road Commission for Oakland County, said: “I started working on this project when I was in our design division, right around 1990. It’s been a long road.”

Road commission chairman Greg Jamian said this is the project is a “significant infrastructure improvement” to the road system.

“In 2014, we will complete the realignment of 14 Mile on the east side of Northwestern Highway,” Jamian said. “The other elements of the triangle project, including the construction of the roundabout on 14 Mile and Orchard Lake will occur in (spring) 2015.”

RCOC Vice Chairman Ron Fowkes said the first part of the project will be completed this November.

Motorists will need a detour, which for this year’s 14 Mile work will be Middlebelt Road to Northwestern Highway and back to 14 Mile.

“The good news is, the roads are going to get fixed,” said state Sen. Mike Kowall. “The bad news is, we’re going to see orange barrels.”

Fowkes said: “We recognize this work will cause inconvenience for area motorists. We ask for their patience while the work is underway — it will be worth it when it’s done. This is short-term pain for long-term gain.”

Funding for this project came from several federal grants, as well as local communities paying $3 million and the Michigan Department of Transportation contributing $1.5 million.

The next phase of the triangle project will be the reconstruction of Orchard Lake Road as a four-lane boulevard between Northwestern Highway and Maple road. This is expected to happen in 2016.